


Seeking Comfort

by skullsandfairylights



Series: My Shipping List [2]
Category: Ib (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-30
Updated: 2014-10-30
Packaged: 2018-02-23 06:50:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2538284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skullsandfairylights/pseuds/skullsandfairylights
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been years since Ib has set foot in the museum. And now, when she has to, she's not sure if she'll be able to cope on her own. If only she had a knight in a shaggy purple coat?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seeking Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> Characters may be slightly OOC since it has been a while since I've seen the game. Also the complete names of some paintings and statues has been taken from the wikia [ ibrpg.wikia.com ]. I haven't created them myself and I take no credit.

Words that one usually associates with a museum: quiet, peaceful, beautiful, old and boring.

And this museum was no different, except today.

Groups of girls huddled together as they complained about how dull this field trip was or would be. Groups of boys hung about together, acting like they were 'too cool' to be there. There was the odd mixed group of boys and girls (mostly couples too 'in love' to stand a foot apart) and then there was her.

She was a small girl with long brown hair and caramel eyes. Although she was sixteen, she was small for her age but she didn't pay much attention to it. She had been through too much to care about how she looked.

She stood off to the side, staring down at the tiled floor. It had been five years since she had set foot anywhere near the art museum and, though she would never tell, she wasn't sure if she would be able to make it through this trip without crying.

"Ib!" The teacher called, "Come and join the rest of the class while we explain what you're going to do." The girl, Ib, let out a shaky breath before nodding and walking further into the museum.

As the teacher explained and walked through what work had to be done, Ib did her best to listen and ignore the giggles and whispers that were directed at her from one of the groups of girls who were complaining earlier.

"Right, now before you go, I am going to be putting you into groups." A low groan filled the air around the class as the teacher began to number and split everyone up.

Sadly, Lady Luck was obviously not on Ib's side that day as Ib ended up in a group with two of the complaining girls - Keiko and Natsumi - and one of the nicer girls and her boyfriend - Mizuki and Kyoya.

The group set off down the large museum hallway, clipboards, pens and worksheets in hand. A few years previously, the museum had been expanded to make a new hall dedicated to one artist, Guertena. That was the artist that Ib's group had to research.

As they approached the entrance to the hall, Ib suddenly froze. She stopped and stared into the slightly dimmed room. She couldn't do it. She really couldn't.

When the rest of the group noticed her absence, they turned and stared. "Well, come on then!" Keiko said, "The quicker we finish this stupid sheet, the quicker we can visit the gift shop." But Ib couldn't move.

Then, a warm hand slid over Ib's and tightened its grip. Ib jolted and spun to look at the hand's body.

First of all, she noticed the shaggy purple-grey coat and then the lilac hair and dark eyes. And then... Ib smiled.

The rest of the group stared as Ib turned on the spot and flung her arms around the taller man. The couple stood like that for a minute, just enjoying the embrace they held.

Then a voice spoke from Ib's hair. "I thought you might like a hand to hold." Ib nodded, her face smushed against the man's chest.

Eventually, Kyoya stepped forward at the nudge his girlfriend gave him. "Uh, Ib? We should probably start working on the sheet, the teacher gave us."

Ib stepped back from the man and nodded, looking at Kyoya. "Yes, sorry." She glanced up at the man, "You'll come too, right?" She asked. When the man nodded, her smile widened. "Good." Ib tightened her grip briefly before announcing, "Everyone, this is Garry. He's my... boyfriend of 4 years."

The group stared at the couple and Ib's cheeks turned the colour of raspberries. Garry's hand gripped Ib's tighter, giving reassurance that she wasn't alone.

After the group had gotten over the shock that the quietest and shyest girl in class had a cool, older boyfriend, Mizuki smiled brightly and pulled Ib away from Garry and into a big hug. "I'm really happy for you, Ib! But we should get this sheet finished and then you can tell me everything about you two!" Though Ib felt uncomfortable being hugged like this, she nodded and agreed.

The group then continued into the new hall, Garry walking close by, holding Ib's hand, giving the girl reassurance that she wasn't alone in this. They headed to the centre of the hall where a few padded benches sat in a square-shape. Once in the very centre, both Ib and Garry's grips tightened around each other. While Ib let out a shaky breath, Garry held his.

The next forty-five minutes found the group scanning all of the paintings and sculptures, reading the information and writing answers on their clipboards. Garry followed them around at Ib's side, helping give information that couldn't be found on the little plaques.

When Ib and Garry got a minute alone - under the guise of looking for a certain sculpture -, they exchanged knowing glances and held each other in an embrace as they both whispered words of encouragement to each other. Reassuring the other that they were not alone and that they would never be alone again.

After a few minutes, the pulled back, Ib remaining inside the ring of Garry's arms. Slowly, the couple turned and realised what sculpture they were stood in front of. 

A large rose with a twisted stem base.

Ib and Garry exchanged a look before smiling at each other. Ib reached a hand beneath her shirt and pulled on a silver chain. Soon, a small oval-shaped charm appeared on the chain. It was ivory-white plastic and had a sheet of thin glass over it. Then, in between the glass and plastic was a red rose. It wasn't real but it looked realistic, like someone had flower-pressed a miniature rose and put it behind glass.

Garry saw it and smiled as he stepped back and pulled on the neck-line of his top to reveal a tattoo of a blue rose on his shoulder. Ib's smile brightened and she pulled Garry into a quick hug before turning fully to look at the rose.

Ib looked down at the plaque that gave information on the sculpture. _Embodiment of Spirit._

And then, she read over the short, one line poem beneath the name. _Beautiful at a glance, but if you get too close, it will induce pain. It can only blossom in wholesome bodies._ It was exactly like she remembered as a child.

This had always been her favourite. Although, when she thought about it, all the other sculptures by Guertena had either tried to kill her or was connected to some bad memories. Whereas the rose, she connected with life. And Garry.

After the ordeal, they had gone through, Ib had found Garry by the over-sized flower, memory of the other world gone and confused on how Ib knew him. But when Garry had found Ib's handkerchief, he remembered everything.

Garry's hand rested on Ib's shoulder, drawing her attention. They shared small smiles before they rejoined the rest of the group who were gathered around the set of three mannequins, dressed in identical, different coloured dresses. Ib's grip tightened around Garry's hand as they reached the group.

Mizuki turned to the couple as she saw them approach. "Hey guys! We chose to use the _Death of the Individual_ as our answer to the last question. You know, the question where we have to write a paragraph on what we see and what it represents?" Ib nodded, wordlessly.

As the group shouted out ideas to Kyoya who wrote them down, Ib could only think about the last time she had seen these mannequins. They had been chasing her through the other-world museum. Their arms raised in a motion to catch. A shiver ran down Ib's spine. Then Garry's chest pressed against her back and his arms wrapped around her, hugging her.

Ib gave very little input into the answer but Garry made up for it, offering a few ideas that were more detailed/advanced than what they could think of. While it looked like Garry was just casually adding his opinions, only Ib could feel how he tensed and froze briefly.

Eventually, they were finished and they still had about half an hour before they had to leave to go back to school. While Keiko and Natsumi practically ran to the gift shop, Kyoya, Mizuki, Garry and Ib wandered to the little cafe area. Garry and Kyoya left the girls and went to grab themselves and their respective girlfriends something quick to eat.

"So, come on, tell me! How did you two meet?" Mizuki attacked as soon as the males were out of earshot. Ib blushed and stared down at her lap.

"We met in this museum years ago and... I guess I dropped my handkerchief and Garry found it. He gave it to me and then, I lost my parents and he stayed with me until I found them. We then spent time together and we soon realised that we weren't just friends, and we liked each other more than that." While Ib told Mizuki the simple explanation of how they met, she remembered what actually happened. How she got lost in an alternate world where Guertena's works. How she found Garry and how they travelled through the world, searching for a way back. Ib was sure that, if Garry was not there, she wouldn't currently be here or alive.

Ib owed her life to Garry and she was happy. He had saved her. He had looked after her. He made sure that she returned to her parents.

Garry and Kyoya returned and the girls smiled, accepting their food and leaning into the hugs that their boyfriends gave.

Ib was happy and she was proud that they both managed to stand in the museum, without a trace of fear anywhere.

**Author's Note:**

> I am sorry if the ending is rubbish. I never know how to end stories :(  
> Thanks for reading though. Feel free to comment what you thought


End file.
